In Pen Review

Product Review: Zebra 33-Piece Journaling Set

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Product Review: Zebra 33-Piece Journaling Set

Zebra put together a massive 33-piece journaling kit ($19.97, approx. 0.68 per pen with the washi and journal being free) from Costco stores:

  • Standard Mildliners with chisel tip and bullet tips (set of 10)
  • Mildliner Brush markers (set of 5) with flexible brush tip on one end and the bullet tip on the other
  • Clickart Retractable Marker Pens (set of 6)
  • Sarasa Clip Gel Pens (set of 5, 0.5mm tip)
  • Kirarich Glitter Marker/Highlighter (set of 3, chisel tip)
  • 3 rolls of washi tape
  • A5-sized blank hardcover journal

The Washi Tape:

First I tested the 3 rolls of washi tape which are pastel pink, pastel purple and bright, sunny yellow.   Lo and behold, this is authentic washi. The tapes are 0.5″ inch wide and tears easily. As such, the only pens that can be used on the tape is alcohol markers like Sharpies. It’s a nice bonus in a kit purchased mostly for the massive quantity of pens.

The Pens & Markers:

Clickart Retractable Marker Pens:

The Clickart markers were the most surprising set in the kit for me. These are actually retractable markers! Think of a Sign Pen but retractable! There were six pens in the set —  Red, Light Blue, Lavender, Yellow, Light Green and Black. The tips are 0.6mm and water-based.

I really like using them. The tips are fine and the color is juicy and easy to use. On some papers, there may be a delay in dry times because how wet these pens are.

The packaging claims that the inks won’t smudge each other. I’m skeptical.

I tried duplicating the doodle on the back of the package to test the smudge-factor. I probably didn’t let it dry for long enough so I got a little smudging.

Overall though, the colors are sharp and bright and the tips are fine enough to use for titles, detail elements and doodles in the average journal. This set has made me want to invest in a larger assortment of colors of the Clickart markers and that is a good thing. I particularly like the DK Set.

I’m not sure how long they will last with the retractable tips but I’ve heard from others that they are holding up well so I will probably order some other sets.

Mildliner “Creative Marker” and Brush Markers:

The 10-count Mildliner Creative Marker (the standard highlighter chisel tip and bullet tip on each end) and 5-count Mildliner Brush set (flexible brush tip and the same bullet tip on the other end) are similar in overall quality.

The Brush Set includes pastel colors: blue, grey, pink, green and blue.  I tested some of the Mildliner Brush pens recently and fell in love with them so I was delighted to pick up a few more and only duplicated the green and gray markers which are probably the most used anyway. If you have not tried the Mildliner Brush pens and want to play around with doing more decorative titles or handwriting, these are great for that.

The 10-count pack has slightly brighter colors and all different: dark grey, cyan, summer green, citrus green, lemon yellow, apricot, coral pink, marigold, fuchsia, and lavender. These are the original and classic highlighter and marker pens but the colors are more uncommon and probably the most unexpected choice in a big box store set. With the apricot, summer green and marigold are not common or “crayola”-like which is such a treat.

These markers are water resistant, not waterproof, dependent on paper and dry time. I know a lot of bullet journalers will use these colors to create alternating rows like a paper spreadsheet to make a chart a little easier to read.

These can be used as highlighters for books, textbooks, etc or adding decorative details in a bullet journal. This set is worth it just to get these 15 markers.

Kirarich Creative Glitter Markers:

I have owned only ONE Kirarich Glitter Marker for almost ten years. For the record, it still works. So I was excited to try a couple new colors: pastel purple and pink as well as the original highlighter yellow. I was delighted to discover that these markers are water resistant. In the writing sample above, I applied water brush over the large swatches and had no shift. Kind of cool for a highlighter. Of course, applying these markers over water soluble ink will make a mess but over printed words, like highlighting a book, that glitter ink isn’t going anywhere.

The Notebook:

The notebook journal has a pale grey PU leather cover with metallic foil “NOTES” printed on the cover. The notebook has a vertical elastic to keep the book closed. The notebook includes 2 grosgrain ribbon bookmarks, and a gusseted pocket in the back.

The paper is unprinted, bright white and a lighter weight than I expected. There are no specifications on the box or on the book telling the paper stock so I will I have to guess. Compared to some Field Notes, I’d say this paper is about 50# text weight, maybe 60# max.

I was very suspicious how well this lightweight paper would perform. I hoped if would be okay with the pens included in the kit but was not holding out hope that it would do well with fountain pens.

Writing tests on the Notes notebook

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Zebra pens and markers did not feather or spline on the paper and the assortment fountain pens performed well as well. Shocking with such light paper!

When flipped over, the Clickart markers did get some show through, a couple of the fountain pens also had a little bit of show through and the Kirarich glitter highlighters had a touch of show through. But it was not as bad as I would have predicted.

I consider the notebook and washi to be free add-ons to the pen set so I think they are nice add-ons. I will probably use the notebook for desk-side doodles and notes and probably just use one side of the pages. Since I don’t have a lot of money tied up into it, I will just use it and not worry about if I’ve “ruining it”.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this Zebra Journaling Set is a fabulous value and if you haven’t experimented with Zebra’s most popular pen offerings, waste no time getting to your local Costco and grabbing it. It’s a great way to try them out at a reasonable price and a nice variety of options.

In Link Love

Link Love: On My Postal Soap Box

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: On My Postal Soap Box

This week we have a little good news and a little bad news. In the good news catergory, there are some great recaps of the California Pen Show down in “Other Interesting Things”. It seems that a good time was had by all this year and the show was a welcome respite from climate issues (fires, snow, ice, etc) and political strife (pen lovers talk pens, not politics).

Also in “Other Interesting Things” is the bad news. There are some changes that might affect the USPS as a result of the new administration’s efforts to cut costs. As a loyal postal patron (I am at my local branch at least once a week and know both my carrier and the counter clerks by name), I am a strong supporter of the staff and the hurdles they face in handling deliveries, customers and general bureaucracy. I know a lot about the struggles they face and how hard they work. I am rooting for the workers at the USPS and hope that the agency remains an independent government agency as we move forward. (For the record, the report cited in the NYTimes article linked below is dated from 2021!  A more current report of USPS earnings from first quarter 2025 suggests slight improvements in earnings which is a good thing.) Regardless of the iffy reporting, taking away the postal service’s autonomy could be catastrophic.

Okay, I’ll stop my grumbling. On to the links!

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Ink:

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Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In photo

Fabric & Ink: Feeling Beachy

Author Laura CameronPosted on 2 Comments
Fabric & Ink: Feeling Beachy

I attended a quilting retreat this weekend and finished another quilt top. This one is in colors I don’t think of as “me,” but are lovely nonetheless. Of course, I needed a matching ink palette right?

Fabric is Beach House by Laundry Basket Quilts (all the blue florals) and Wandering by Stephanie Organes (gold in the lower right corner). The inks are:

In feature

Have You Joined the Ink Pony Club?

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Have You Joined the Ink Pony Club?

Following a Pen Addict Twitch stream, the supremely contagious refrain “Ink Pony Club” got stuck in Lisa of Olive Octopus Inks‘s head and lead to her creation of the an actual Ink Pony illustration that she has made available for you to download and print.

She has run many types of paper through her trusty printer including Tomoe River and Cosmos Art Light so you can ink your very own pony on your favorite papers.

Once you’ve completed your inky masterpiece, snap a picture of it and submit it to Lisa via social media, or Pen Addict Slack or Discord. She will add it to her site.

In feature

Until the Next Workshop…

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments
Until the Next Workshop…

I have gotten some great feedback from my Sigils: Making Magic with Pens & Ink Workshop class that I taught at the California Pen Show. Several people have contacted me directly to tell me they enjoyed the workshop and Brad at The Pen Addict mentioned his experiences on the Pen Addict podcast this week. I’m hoping to teach the workshop again in DC and SF later this year. If you won’t be able to attend these events, consider grabbing a copy of the zine I assembled for the class. The zine is also available on Etsy. Each copy is $6.

 

In Paper Review

Final Follow-up: Leuchtturm 1917 Some Lines a Day

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

Review by Tina Koyama

In the research world, a longitudinal study involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time. (Although I’m not a researcher, I’ve seen some fascinating documentaries that followed this method.) Probably the closest thing I can think of to a longitudinal study of my own life is my Leuchtturm 1917 Some Lines a Day diary. I initially reviewed the book here when I first began using it in late 2020. More than a year later, I checked in with a follow-up. I’m now in my fifth year of this five-year diary, so it seemed like a good time to write a final follow-up.

Like any long-term relationship, my Some Lines and I have had our ups and downs. As mentioned in my initial review, I began the book on my birthday in November 2020 to help me focus my feelings toward others in a more positive direction. Many of those early entries, made during the pre-vaccine days of COVID, are some of the most meaningful to me now because reading them reminds me of the kindnesses of strangers I encountered during that weird, isolated time. 

During especially difficult periods, I sometimes stopped writing in the book for months; other times I skipped only a few days. When I get to a page with a missing entry, I feel a little regretful, but that’s life. The important thing is not to give up altogether just because some spaces are empty. I just pick it up again when I’m ready.

I change the general theme or prompt occasionally, but I always keep the focus on appreciation and gratitude. It’s an easy way to begin: “Today I’m grateful for…” “Today I appreciate…” “A kind thought today for…” The past year or so, I’ve been using the prompt “Today’s highlight,” and it’s amazing how such a simple, general prompt keeps me from writing some stupid complaint that I know I will not want to recall a year or two years or five years from now.

Ultimately, that’s the key to how I have been using Some Lines a Day: I think about what I would like to recall when I inevitably see the same page and all of its prior entries again in the succeeding years. 

For a while, I was using the book to help get me outside of my own head (where I had been spending too much troubled time) by making external observations only. Here’s one from June 9, 2023: “A streak of blue across my walking path: a Steller’s jay. Meanwhile, crows take turns barking at me repeatedly.” And another a few days later: “Goose poop all over one part of the trail. Kathleen and I pick our way to avoid it, pausing our conversation in concentration. Drizzle all morning, but balmy.”

Those kinds of observations pushed me to be more conscious of my surroundings so that I would have something to write. Reading them in later years, though, wasn’t quite as satisfying as simple gratitude statements, especially about other people. I especially enjoy recalling interactions with others. Whatever it was feels like a gift twice: Once when it happened, and again when I remembered it.

Some of the most interesting entries from prior years were those that made me conscious of the passage of time (or lack thereof). OMG – was that two whole years ago? Or: Wow, was that only three years ago? I often used the current entry to remark on those observations.

One name for this type of format – the date at the top of the page, followed by space on the same page for multiple years of entries for the same date – is a perpetual journal used by nature journalers. The format is especially useful for observing changes in natural phenomena like when a plant flowered (was it earlier or later than last year?). I occasionally used Some Lines to record extreme weather conditions, but I found that unless I used it that way consistently, it won’t show patterns over time. I do think, however, that Some Lines would make a great perpetual nature journal if that sort of thing interests you. 

In addition to using Some Lines a Day, I also keep a general long-form journal (as I have my whole life). Occasionally, writing in Some Days feels redundant of something I intend to expand on further in my other journal. Interestingly, though, the shorter entry in Some Days acts as an index of sorts. If I want to read more about what I was thinking about that topic, I can dig out my long-form journal for the same date (though, admittedly, I rarely do).

The huge benefit of Some Lines over a traditional long-form journal is its longitudinal nature. Unless I were to go back and read years and years of journals (which I’m never inclined to do), it’s hard to get the same sense of how different (or not) one year is from the next. Some Lines gives me that in an easy snapshot. For example, on one day in early 2021, I mentioned anxiety about COVID. By 2022 on the same date, I was happy to be able to see friends, but still generally cautious. In 2023, I read those prior entries and celebrated that life finally felt mostly “normal” again.

The longer I use Some Lines, the more I learn about how I want to use it. Early on, some entries were vague and general: “I’m grateful that today was so much better than yesterday.” That’s not very interesting or useful to read a year later. That taught me to be specific enough that I would understand and usually why it was a better day: “Grateful for times when my body is not filled with anxiety.”

During some periods when I was tempted to stop using Some Lines, I vowed never to get another one. Today, I feel just the opposite: When I complete this one at the end of the year, I’m looking forward to beginning the next one. As I had mentioned in my initial review, my mother had been a lifelong journaler who favored the five-year format. She is probably nodding with satisfaction that we share the same penchant now.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.



In Link Love

Link Love: Keep Your Inks Warm

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Keep Your Inks Warm

Its next level cold here in the Midwest. And I brought back a lovely case of the sniffles from LA. Today is a good day to build a blanket fort, drink tea and just play in my notebooks but alas, duty calls! Hope you are staying warm and saving a little time to make yourself cozy, even if its just another cup of coffee AND a cookie.

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Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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